Boeing to Begin Modifying 787

Boeing to Begin Modifying 787s as FAA Approves Battery Improvements

- Boeing to provide customers support for return to service

EVERETT, Wash., April 19, 2013 /PRNewswire/ -- Today's approval of
battery system improvements for the 787 Dreamliner by the U.S. Federal
Aviation Administration (FAA) clears the way for Boeing (NYSE: BA) and
its customers to install the approved modifications and will lead to a
return to service and resumption of new production deliveries.

"FAA approval clears the way for us and the airlines to begin the
process of returning the 787 to flight with continued confidence in the
safety and reliability of this game-changing new airplane," said Boeing
Chairman, President and CEO Jim McNerney. "The promise of the 787 and
the benefits it provides to airlines and their passengers remain fully
intact as we take this important step forward with our customers and
program partners."

The FAA's action will permit the return to service of 787s in the
United States upon installation of the improvements. For 787s based and
modified outside the United States, local regulatory authorities provide
the final approval on return to service.

Approval of the improved 787 battery system was granted by the FAA
after the agency conducted an extensive review of certification tests.
The tests were designed to validate that individual components of the
battery, as well as its integration with the charging system and a new
enclosure, all performed as expected during normal operation and under
failure conditions. Testing was conducted under the supervision of the
FAA over a month-long period beginning in early March.

Source : airnation.net

"The FAA set a high bar for our team and our solution," said
McNerney. "We appreciate the diligence, expertise and professionalism of
the FAA's technical team and the leadership of FAA Administrator
Michael Huerta and Secretary of Transportation Ray LaHood throughout
this process. Our shared commitment with global regulators and our
customers to safe, efficient and reliable airplanes has helped make air
travel the safest form of transportation in the world today."

Boeing, in collaboration with its supplier partners and in support of
the investigations of the National Transportation Safety Board and the
Japan Transport Safety Board, conducted extensive engineering analysis
and testing to develop a thorough understanding of the factors that
could have caused the 787's batteries to fail and overheat in two
incidents last January. The team spent more than 100,000 hours
developing test plans, building test rigs, conducting tests and
analyzing the results to ensure the proposed solutions met all
requirements.

It is looking increasingly likely that the Boeing 787 Dreamliner is nearing the end of its three-month long grounding order.

The FAA have just announced the approval of Boeing’s proposed design changes to the aircraft’s lithium-ion batteries.

With the approval order, Boeing will have the authority to begin retrofitting the aircraft with the new battery system and containment kit.

The modified battery system will have a toughened case, additional circuitry protection and a system to vent smoke.

It is possible that the 787 will return to the skies within the next few days.

Here at Plane Finder we are looking forward to seeing the aircraft once again in our live tracker systems.

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We're India’s largest aviation enthusiast community, committed to unite plane spotters from India, providing a common platform to share, showcase and exhibit aviation photos by beginners or professional aviation photographers.